The Journey, the Mess, and the Treasure

Once there was a little girl named Birdie who was sent on a journey to find treasure. She had big expectations and dreams for her journey, but many of her dreams wer not even her own; they were shaped by the people who went looking for treasure before her. She didn't know how dream her own dreams, so she fostered the dreams of other people. She lost her passion because there isn't much room to dance inside a box that is built from expectations. She was afraid to step out of the box. She was afraid of the people who crossed paths with her on her journey. She was afraid they would think she was peculiar; she was afraid of having no friends. She was afraid of what people thought of her, because she forgot that they had journeys behind them, too. She forgot that, when they crossed her path, they had already experienced a journey full of sorrow, pain, discouragement and joy.

Remember the expectations that Birdie boxed herself in with? It seemed to Birdie that none of those expectations were ever fulfilled. She could never meet her own expectations, and what happened in the outside world never seemed to go as planned. For each failed expectation, Birdie picked up a disappointment. One by one, the disappointments began to paint a gloomy picture on Birdie's heart, which then showed up on her little face. She felt that she had failed herself and people around her, and she took the blame for things that weren't even in her control. She thought she was the only one with problems; she forgot that other people had messes too. So she sat in her box by the side of the road, stuck, and barely able to move under the weight of what she felt.

But before she became completely broken, Love came and knocked on the door to her little box. "Come out!" he said, "there's too much of you in there." But Birdie didn't listen to him because she felt safe in her box. I was a little barrier that seemed to protect her from the harsh world outside. When Love didn't get an answer, he began to tear the box down, piece by piece. "Don't look at me!" Birdie cried, "I'm a mess." But Love replied, "I can handle it. I can see deeper than the mess." So she hopped out of the box, because just hearing Love's voice gave her new energy. When she looked into Love's eyes, all her fears and worries melted away. "What are you doing, daughter?" Love asked. "I'm looking for treasure" Birdie replied. "I am the treasure," Love said, "and everything I give to you is also a treasure. So remember these things you've learned so far: I will always be with you. Every person that crosses your path is on a journey to find a treasure, too. And you never have to be stuck in a box again, because you have control over what you let yourself think." 

This is the story of how Birdie learned to dance. 

Here's to the artists;

Heres to the artists;

Here's to the ones who have always known that they're different.

Here's to the ones who create, even when they don't understand what's going on in themselves or the world.

Here's to the ones who often feel lonely because they sacrifice conformity in the pursuit of real, raw, original beauty.

Here's to the ones who feel -- deeply, and who find inspiration in the strangest places:

Please don't ever stop creating. When it feels like no one appreciates what you create, when it feels like no one sees things from your perspective: you're not alone, I've felt that way too.

When you wonder if you'll ever be discovered, remember that your time to shine is coming. No one can steal your spotlight because it's the shape of you.

When you wonder if your art is even worth anything, please remember that you are priceless, and your art is a part of you, so it should be priceless too.

The Legacy

16"x20" oil painting

Her life she weaves into a legacy

Threads of strength, beauty, grace and dignity

She's taught us how to make pie crust, she's taught us about God.

Her wings are always spread to catch us when we fall, and along the way she whispers "I've made those mistakes too."

Our drawings and letters fill her treasure box, and for small and large accomplishments she overflows with pride- bedazzled by our ingenuity, head over heels in love.

It is to her we will always return because before we were famous she saw the greatness, and created a place for us to flourish, sacrificing herself for our best interest.

Crowned in silver, she hands us this tapestry, to be used as a launching pad for excellence

And she says, with the echo of generations - "We've reached the stars, but stand on our shoulders now so you can reach galaxies."

There are two sides to time; inside and outside.

Sometimes I get so weary in life. The details never end. Tasks and goals tower over me tauntingly, sitting, waiting to be completed, to be reached. The rhythm of time rolls in my head. Sometimes quiet, sometimes loud. At first too slow, now too fast. Always reminding me of deadlines to make, and that time used unwisely will never be given back to me.

Life is getting stuffy and these inanimate things are closing in on me. My eyes are getting tired because they are too close to the page. All I can see are details, and they are blocking out my dreams. I'm running in circles, stuck, overwhelmed, afraid.

I catch a breath of fresh air and I remember that I am in control of my life. I get to decide where I want to go. (which can be a scary thing, but right now it's good to remember.) I take a big step back and look at the big picture. I've grown so much since just this time last year. All these years have carried me to the place that I am at now. I look at the present, and I realize that all these burdens are actual things that I love. I am actually living my dreams, and when I see it that way, I have to apologize to God, and to myself, for letting my life take control of me, instead of me take control of my life. For letting these things that are actually gifts grow out of proportion and out of control in my mind. When I look at my life through His lens, all I can do is thank him, because all I see are good plans. I have life, I can breathe, and there are people all around me that love and support me.

I look at the future, and at eternity, and at God, who doesn't actually live in time. I remember that I have a God bigger than my fear and my problems. I remember how unworthy I am, and that God flipped that around when he called me his daughter. I remember that I am too much of a human to do everything I'll ever want to do. I'll never be perfect, and I'll never please everyone in the human kingdom (including myself.) I remember that I live in God's kingdom. And the ones that become great in that kingdom; they serve.

The reason I live in that kingdom is because I love the King. The reason I love the King is because He loved me first. He's bigger than time, and light, and created things, yet he chose me. Out of all the sin and dirt, he saw me. Out of all the mass of Himself and his other creations he found me (which is crazy to think about because he's very big) and he knows me. Intimately, in spite of my imperfectness, my wretchedness, my despair, my fear, and however many a day I trip and fall. (which is a lot more than I would like to say...) He picked me to be his daughter because he saw the princess I would become.

And nothing else in life matters but loving my King. My dream is to see and love the princess and prince he made myself and others to be. And when I look at the gift of life through his eyes, I can't wait to get out of bed in the morning. My understanding is small, but his mercy is new, the discoveries to be made are fresh, and whatever I do I can't make him love me, because he already loved me to the end.